Before reading this article, I sincerely invite you to click the "Follow" button, so that you can continue to push such articles in the future, and it is also convenient for you to discuss and share, your support is the driving force for us to insist on creating~
Text: Xiaozhu
Edit|t
introduction
In that year, the Mongolian iron cavalry swept across the Eurasian continent, and the four mastiff-like heroes under the command of Genghis Khan contributed a lot. Among them, Jebe can be said to be the magic arrow inside, and wherever he goes, even the hardest stone will be broken, and the deepest river will be cut off.
He was Genghis Khan's favorite general, but he was wounded by the Bulgaris on his way back from his victory in the Western Expedition and died of serious injuries. The whole of Eurasia regarded him as a terrible death, and he fought with Subutai to the Caspian Sea with only 20,000 horses, and then went north to defeat the Caucasians and Russians.
(Jebe Statue)
But why did such a victorious Mongol army end up at the hands of the Bulgaris? So much so that coach Jebel was seriously injured and eventually died?
1. The Western Expedition was victorious
After Genghis Khan destroyed Western Liao, he became neighbors with the kingdom of Khorezm in Central Asia. In order to recuperate for a while, Genghis Khan intended to conclude peaceful and friendly relations with Khorezm. However, instead of accepting Genghis Khan's kindness, Khorezm foolishly killed all the emissaries who came to negotiate.
This move completely angered Genghis Khan, who led the entire Mongol Empire to attack Khorezm. As a result, Khorezm was destroyed with little effort.
(Image)
The king of Khorezm absconded westward, and Genghis Khan ordered Jebe and Subutai to continue the pursuit. By the time Jebe and Subutai reached the Caspian Sea, the king of Khorezm had already died of illness.
However, Genghis Khan did not allow Jebe and Subutai to return immediately, but ordered them to continue their expedition west to wipe out the remnants of Khorezm. Jebe and others attacked Persia in one fell swoop, and then marched north into the North Caucasus.
The Kipchaks on the Kipchak steppe immediately turned to the Rus, and a total of 150,000 horses were sent to the aid of the Northern and Southern Rus. At this time, Jebe and Subutai had only 20,000 horses, and although the coalition army of the Rus' seemed to be mighty, it was full of internal contradictions.
(Portrait of Jebel)
Taking advantage of their internal contradictions, Jebe and Subutai defeated all the Kipchaks and Zaras in the Volga Valley, achieving the victory of the First Western Expedition.
2. Attack on the return trip
After the victory of the Western Expedition, Jebe and Subutai were to return to Mongolia with their troops. However, on their way back to the east, they encountered the Briars of the Volga Valley.
The Kingdom of Briar was a small and not powerful state, and their ancestors were the European Huns. At that time, the Xiongnu fled westward until Europe, and did not end their westward advance until the sudden death of Arati.
(Route map of Mongolia's Western Expedition)
After thousands of years of circulation, his descendants established the Volga Bulgarian Khanate in the Volga River valley. According to the original plan, Genghis Khan planned to let his son Jochi lead a large army to join Jebe and his party, and then attack the kingdom of Briar.
However, Jochi did not respond to Genghis Khan's call, and left Jebe and Subutai's 20,000 horses to attack the kingdom of Buriar. There was a fierce battle between the two sides in the Gulf of Samara, and the vanguard forces of Jebe and Subutai were ambushed by the Briars and suffered heavy losses.
Jebe and Subutai simply took the plan, lured the enemy into the depths, pretended that the main force suffered heavy losses, and fled in a rout. These deliberate chaos led the Briars into believing that their ambush had played a huge role, and they sent their troops in deep pursuit.
(Genghis Khan statue)
As a result, the group of Briars suffered brutal retaliation from the Mongol army, so much so that half of their forces were damaged. The Mongol army did not gain much either, and the soldiers of Jebe and Subutai also lost thousands.
This ambush was a fiasco that Jebe and Subutai did not expect, and Jebe was even wounded in the battle. However, the historical record of the war is very vague.
In the Arab historians' "Complete History", the battle is described as a great victory for the Briars. On their way back from the Kipchak steppe, the Tatars were ambushed by the Briars. In order to lure the Tatar army into their ambush area, the Briars took the initiative to engage the Tatar army and lure their large army to the ambush position.
(Speedless image)
Then, a group of Briars appeared behind the Tatars and attacked the Tatars in front and back. As countless arrows pierced the sky, most of the Tatars were killed and wounded, and only a few escaped the ambush.
In the Persians' History of the Conquerors of the World, the great victories of the Briars are also recorded. Moreover, these Briars exchanged the Mongol soldiers captured in the First Battle of Samara Bay for rams to Genghis Khan.
However, in the "History of the Mongols of Tosan", it is recorded that in this battle, the Mongol cavalry set up an ambush and defeated the Briars. Briar's army suffered serious losses in the Gulf of Samara, and only four thousand men escaped.
(Oil painting of Mongolian soldiers changing rams)
Although there are significant discrepancies in the accounts of the Battle of Samara Bay in many historical books, the end result is that the Mongol soldiers returned to the East to join Genghis Khan. In fact, after leaving the kingdom of Briar, Jebe defeated the remnants of the Kipchak army in the lower Volga before joining up with Jochi.
3. The death of Jebel
In 1224 A.D., the armies of Jebe and Subutai finally arrived in the Syr Darya River to meet Genghis Khan. In the same year, Jebel died suddenly after a recurrence of an old injury and a high fever. From the beginning of the return journey to the death of Jebe, the period was only half a year.
After leaving Samara Bay, the armies of Jebe and Subutai did not suffer heavy casualties in battles. And Subutai also lost an eye before returning to the Syr Darya.
(Portrait of the Mongolian Expedition to the West)
It can be speculated that the battle of Samara Bay was absolutely brutal, and although it did not lead to Jebe's death, at least it wounded him. Thinking of the medical level in ancient times, Jebe should have returned injured himself.
After a bumpy ride and no timely treatment, Jebe's wound became infected and he suffered serious complications. Eventually, shortly after returning to the Syr Darya, he died suddenly due to a "fever".
Because the Mongols did not have the habit of recording history, the specific process and reason for Jebe's death are not left in the Yuan History. The Collected Chronicles compiled by European historians also have a vague record of Jebe's death, and there is no way to verify what he says.
(Map of Khorezm)
Instead, a copy of the First Chronicle has been handed down, which contains a detailed account of Jebel's death, but it is full of loopholes. According to the book, Jebe's army was ambushed by the Briars, suffered heavy losses, and was almost crushed. When Jebe was wounded and unable to keep up with the withdrawal, the Mongol army buried him in the ground, hoping that Heaven would forbid him not to die.
However, the Brears who pursued him found Jebe in the soil and killed him with the permission of their leader. The story is undoubtedly ridiculous. Not to mention that Jebe was experienced in a hundred battles, so he was not so easily injured that he could not move forward, and even if he was wounded, there should be Mongol soldiers to protect him and retreat, and he did not have to bury him in the soil and suffocate him.
Although the historical record is full of doubts, the arrow Jebe was indeed killed on the way back, which made Genghis Khan's heart ache. This is why, during the Second Western Expedition, the first target of the Mongol army was the Briars.
(Mongolia map)
Resources
LIU Gang. Genghis Khan's Western Expedition from the History of the World Conquerors and the Historical Collection[J].Journal of Guizhou Normal University:Social Sciences, 2005(2):5.)
Wang Kun." Shi Lin, 2004(6):108-114.